Hoverthings Parts Bin Quad
October 2013
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| HT-FPV + Talon Bits + an APM 2.5 and a Camera Gimbal |
Contents
The Parts Bin Quad Build Log
My two camera platforms, TBS Discovery and Turnigy Talon are small taking only a maximum ten inch prop and not providing more than eight to ten minutes of real flight time. So I started looking at what was available when I realized I had a bare Hoverthings HT-FPV frame and some bits and pieces from a couple of other builds. Looking at the "Parts Bin" I saw I could throw together a ship capable of utilizing 15" propellers without spending too much money. These notes then are this new design journey...
General Specifications
Build Date - October 2013
| Airframe Type - | Multi-rotor, Asymmetrical Spyder Quad-X | Flying Type - | Aerial Photography | |
| Motor Centers - | Adj 24" to 26" (610 - 660mm) | Bare Weight - | 48.5oz (1375gr) w/12" props | |
| Max Rotor Area - | 15" - 706.84in^2 | AUW Weight - | 61oz (1730oz) | |
| Motors - | Multistar 4225/610Kv X4 | Propellers - | HKCF 13 x 5.5 | |
| Power - | 1320 watts MAX | Thrust - | 145oz (4120gr) | |
| Thrust/Weight - | 2.38:1 | Battery Type - | Lipoly - 5400mah, 3S, 35C | |
| Speed Control (ESC)- | Q-Brain 20A (80A total) | BEC - | Switch Mode 3A, 5.25v |
Component List
The component list includes all the major components needed. What is not shown are additional fasteners tie-wraps, connectors, G10 materials, battery's, etc. Prices are shown only for the parts I had to buy.
| Item (as of June 22, 2012) | Price | Quant | Sub-Tot |
| HT-FPV Frame Kit in Camo | $- | x1 | $- |
| Talon V2 Extended CF Tubes, 14mm | $- | x4 | $- |
| Talon V2 Tube Mounts | $- | x4 | $- |
| Talon V2 Motor Mounts | $- | x4 | $- |
| McMaster Aluminum 1" x 4-40 Stand-off | $0.37 | x8 | $2.96 |
| McMaster Aluminum 1-1/4" x 4-40 Stand-off | $0.58 | x9 | $5.22 |
| Multistar 4225/610Kv | $29.46 | x4 | $117.84 |
| APCmr Props 12 x 4.5 | $3.96 | x4 | $15.84 |
| Q-Brain 4X20A ESC | $29.31 | x1 | $29.31 |
| KK 2.0 -or- APM 2.5 Flight Controller | $- | x1 | $- |
| Spektrum AR6200 Receiver | $- | x1 | $- |
| Total- | $171.17 |
What I Threw Together
These build notes are about the the build of a quad frame mostly from parts I had from different projects. I did buy motors because I wanted to try the HK Multistar 16 pole series, an HK ESC called the "Q-Brain" because it has 4 ESC's and all the power distribution built right in, and some aluminum stand-offs to replace the too short stand-offs the HT-FPV frame came with.
Frame Base
On the frame base plate I added 2 pieces of G10 fiberglass from McMaster Carr to help stiffen the frame from side to side. I bolted it all together using 4-40 screws and Aluminium stand-offs from MacMaster which fit perfectly. I did cut one down by 1/16" (1.5mm) which had to sit atop one of the G10 plates. I set the arms up at 90 degrees in the rear and XX degrees front which gives a layout that will support up to a 15 inch prop. I used a spyder layout to minimize prop interference in the video.
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| Mod components on the HT-FPV base plate |
Power & ESC's
For this project I decided to give the HobbyKing Q-Brain 4-in-1 ESC and distribution unit a shot. Basically it is 4, 20 amp ESC's built on a single board with a single 3A, 5.25v switch mode BEC. At 112gr (3.95oz) it isn't light as it has a very robust heat sink plate on top. I mounted it on three nylon 6mm tall stand-offs so it sits between the two main frame plates for max air flow.
It really does a nice job of cleaning up the wiring and it eliminates the need for a power distribution board (which can save some weight).
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| Loaded up with a Q-Brain 4x 20A ESC |
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| Bottom view showing second receiver and gimbal control board |
Geometry
I spent some time comparing various spyder quad layouts and decided on the geometry as shown below. The layout is designed to fit a 15" (381mm) propellers with a gap of ~1" (25mm). The arm tubes are adjustable from 9.4" (240mm) to 10.4" (265mm). The layouts shown below depict 15" props with the arms adjusted to 260mm.
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| Geometry layout in inches |
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| Geometry layout in millimeters |
Brushless Gimbal
With all the great success I have had with the brushless gimbal on my TBS Discovery, I decided this project would include a similar one one as well. I already had an extra board and motors so it was a simple effort to make up a mount and a pair of swing brackets to build it on the frame. More information here: Easy Brushless Gimbal
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| Brushless Gimbal for GoPro |
See Also
Comments? Questions?
